TDEE & maintenance calorie calculator
Estimate resting energy and daily maintenance calories. Choose an activity assumption and see exactly how it changes the result.
Your details
Sex-specific equations reflect the original research groups.
Enter total inches. For example, 5 ft 10 in = 70 in.
These multipliers are practical assumptions, separate from the resting-energy equation.
An approximate maintenance level for your usual day.
A starting point, with context.
Your activity multiplier already accounts for everyday movement and exercise. Adding exercise calories again can count the same activity twice.
For adults 18–100. Not designed for pregnancy, breastfeeding, illness or individual medical nutrition planning. This is not a prescribed food intake.
The numbers, explained.
Our methodology ↗Total daily energy expenditure, or TDEE, is an estimate of the energy used across a whole day. This page starts with the Mifflin–St Jeor resting-energy equation and multiplies it by your chosen activity factor.
The original equation uses body weight in kilograms, height in centimeters, age in years and a sex-specific constant. Its output estimates resting energy expenditure. It does not, by itself, estimate your workouts or occupation.
The activity factors below are common planning heuristics added by this tool. They are not individual measurements or coefficients from the original Mifflin paper. The labels are deliberately broad: a desk job with regular training can still differ substantially from a physical job.
The result is an approximate maintenance level, not a weight-loss prescription. It does not set a calorie deficit or predict a deadline for weight change. Pregnancy, breastfeeding, illness and individual medical nutrition needs require a different assessment.
| Activity assumption | Multiplier |
|---|---|
| Mostly seated | 1.20 |
| Lightly active | 1.375 |
| Moderately active | 1.55 |
| Very active | 1.725 |
| Exceptionally active | 1.90 |
For adults aged 18–100 in this implementation. These multipliers are assumptions, not precise exercise schedules.
A little more clarity.
Is TDEE the same as BMR?
No. A resting-energy estimate describes a baseline component. TDEE includes a full day’s energy use. This tool specifically uses an RMR/REE prediction, although online calculators often loosely call it BMR.
Should I add my walking calories to the result?
Usually the selected activity multiplier already includes some walking and exercise. Adding the same activity again can count it twice. Keep the accounting method consistent rather than combining unrelated estimates.
Which activity level should I choose?
Consider your usual whole week: work, commuting, household movement and exercise. If two levels seem plausible, compare both and treat the difference as a reminder of uncertainty rather than a reason to choose the larger number.
Why does the calculator ask for an equation sex?
The source model was fitted with separate constants for male and female groups. The toggle selects that mathematical version. It cannot capture every person’s physiology or circumstances, including effects of hormonal treatment.
Keep exploring.
All calculators ↗Methods checked against the linked references · September 14, 2026. Educational estimates for adults. No individual medical assessment.